GlobalMass PI, Jonathan Bamber, and CoI, Paul Bates, are lead authors of a new policy briefing which sets out how Earth Observation is a vital tool for tacking climate change ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November.
The briefing, published in association with the COP26 Universities Network comprising more than 70 UK-based universities and research institutions, identifies EO satellites as a critical tool to monitor the causes and effects of climate change. The data they capture will help hold nations to account in meeting goals to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce global warming, as brokered in The Paris Agreement in 2015, which 190 countries have ratified and which the US recently rejoined.
EO refers to global, or near-global, observations of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere by satellites. The technology is also important for informing emergency services to environmental disasters, ranging from floods to landslides, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires.
Jonathan Bamber said: “Earth Observation satellites are our eyes on the planet. Without them we would be virtually blind to the magnitude and timing of climate change and to human interference with the fragile ecosystems that we all depend on.”
Read the full UoB press release here.
The policy briefing should be cited as Bamber, J., Bates, P., Brindley, H., Evans, B., Jackson, T., Merchant, C. Davey, M., Palmer, P., Scott, M., and Spencer, T. (2021). Space-based Earth Observations for climate security. COP26 Universities Network Briefing https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_792662_smxx.pdf